Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

High School Students’ Learning During The Covid Pandemic: Perspectives From Health Sciences And Technology Academy Participants, Sherron Benson Mckendall, Alan Mckendall, Ann Chester, Catherine Morton, Sean Freeland, Summer Kuhn, Mary Mcmillion

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

This paper examines the perspectives of Health Sciences and Technology Academy (HSTA) participants as they navigate through their West Virginia (WV) high school learning environments (i.e., in-person, blended/hybrid, complete virtual) during the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-19 (COVID-19) pandemic. In March of 2020, the participants in this out-of-school-time (OST) academic enrichment program for exceptionally driven, yet underprivileged, at-risk students, with over 70% living in rural areas, started receiving remote learning instruction through learning management systems or via paper packets. In August of 2020, school systems provided parents and caregivers alternative learning environments for their student(s). In order to understand the learning experiences …

Curriculum Mapping For B.S. In Healthcare Services And Sciences, Janet Hahn

Assessment Grants

This project will build on the Healthcare Services and Sciences program competencies revised at a faculty retreat in February 2020. It will map the competencies along with a suggested student progression. WMU Essential Studies assessment data will be integrated into the curriculum map and overall program assessment plan.

Black Education In The Wake Of Covid-19 And Systemic Racism: Toward A Theory Of Change And Action, Phillip Smith, Sonya Douglass Horsford, Leana Cabral, Cami Touloukian, Siettah Parks, Chy Mcghee, Fawziah Qadir, Dominique Lester, Jade Jacobs

GSE Faculty Publications

This report presents findings from a research study the Black Education Research Collective (BERC) conducted to better understand how the COVID-19 pandemic and systemic racism have impacted Black education from the perspectives of Black parents, teachers, students, education and community leaders. Two questions guided the study: (1) What is the impact of COVID-19 on the education of Black children and youth in the United States? (2) How should educators and community leaders respond to calls for change and action? Data was collected between January-May 2021 using a national online survey and virtual focus group interviews with Black high school students, …

The Impact Of Using Social Media Platfrom Wechat For Formative Feedback Of Teaching And Learning On Student Satisfaction, Suxia Chen

Doctor of Education (EdD)

This quantitative study utilized a quasi-experimental design and SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science) as an analysis tool to measure the correlation between independent variables and dependent variables in SETs (student evaluations of teaching) in experimental and control groups. Social learning theory is a foundational theory for building the conceptual framework of this study. Two other theories—motivation theory and self-efficacy—are subfoundational theories to support the conceptual framework. The study applies social learning theory to motivate and enhance students’ self-efficacy. It analyzed the correlation between using WeChat for formative feedback and students’ satisfaction with teaching, as well as with response rates. …

Collective Efficacy Across Multiple Elementary Schools, Nicole Farrington

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This school improvement project explored the effect that shared leadership and collective efficacy have on student achievement. Participants include 47 staff members from six different elementary schools in the Ottumwa Community School District. Participants spent the 2020-2021 school year attending monthly meetings and professional development sessions creating common assessments, rubrics, and curriculum. FAST data was collected to determine if the new committee of staff members influenced student scores in grades 2-5. It was determined that there was no positive or negative impact on student achievement based on the implementation of the Curriculum Council.

Using Transcendental Phenomenology To Explore Elementary Teachers’ Experiences With Struggling Readers During The Social Restrictions Precipitated By The Covid-19 Pandemic, Wyann C. Stanton

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study provides a window into the experiences of elementary teachers with their struggling readers during the largest world-wide interruption to education that has ever been seen. This study gives insight to educational leaders and educators as they assist their struggling readers in rebounding from the disruption to school caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and as they work to improve the quality of schooling for struggling readers. Since the beginning of the pandemic, there had been a growing body of educational literature in pandemic-related information, practice, and research. Yet, there was a need to bring to light the phenomenon of …

The Centrality Of Cultural Considerations In Facilitating Training For Adults, Corinne Brion

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Teaching and learning are social and cultural activities. Across cultures people have different ways of communicating, interacting, and learning. Consequently, learning may not occur without understanding the role national cultures play on organizing and facilitating training events. This study is part of a larger study that took place over a period of six years, from 2013 to 2019, in West Africa. Using Hofstede et al., (2010) Six Cultural Dimensions model as a conceptual framework, this paper sought to examine the extent to which factors of national culture influences the facilitation of professional learning among school principals in two West African …

Cultural Proficiency: The Necessary Link To Family Engagement, Corinne Brion

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Although family engagement is crucial to student and community outcomes, schools often alienate families who are not part of the dominant culture. As a result, school leaders need to become culturally proficient to systematically engage all families equitably regardless of their race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and other cultural identifiers. This teaching case study raises issues related to cultural proficiency and family engagement. To help current and future educational leaders foster family engagement, I provide a cultural proficiency for family and community engagement framework. I also pose questions designed to trigger conversations and find practical solutions related to equitable family engagement.

Formative Assessment And Technology In The Mathematics Classroom, Albert Humes

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This literature review investigates the use of formative assessment and technology in the classroom. There has been research to show that mathematics proficiency has dropped recently in the United States and researchers are looking to identify new strategies for student growth. Utilizing formative assessments, as well as targeted, immediate feedback for students, can help to improve student learning. As educational technology becomes more prevalent, more studies and research are focused around its effectiveness toward student achievement. The research found that formative assessment strategies, coupled with new technologies, can positively impact student achievement.

Exploring Differences In Mathematical Creative Potential And Problem-Posing In Gifted And Non-Gifted Middle School Students, Aishah Ahmed Alzahrani

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the link between students’ Mathematical Creative Potential (MCP) and giftedness by analyzing their abilities to pose mathematical problems. The participants included 260 gifted and non-gifted students from the 7th and 8th grades, representing four schools and four school districts in Northwest Arkansas. The study developed the Mathematical Creative Potential Scale (MCPS) to measure participant MCP. The MCPS is based on a divergent-thinking technique consisting of five free-structured and semi-structured situations. Students’ plausible problems were scored based on three dimensions of creativity: fluency, flexibility, and originality. This study found that there were statistically …

A Study Of The Association Of Teacher Efficacy And Students' Achievement In A North Texas School District, Ruth E. Schackmann

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The field of education places great importance on measurable student achievement and the role of teaching competencies for maximizing success. Whereas much focus has been given to professional development and improving teachers’ skills, this quantitative study examined whether teachers' self-efficacy and judgment about their skills and capabilities were significantly associated with improving student achievement in third grade reading. This dissertation involved a study of teacher self-efficacy using a sample group of third grade English/Language Arts teachers from one Texas urban school district. Targeted teachers were invited to complete a valid and reliable teacher efficacy survey, the Tschannen-Moran and Woolfolk Hoy …

Developing A Teachers’ Assessment Literacy And Design Competence Framework, Anit Girgla, Laura Good, Sladana Krstic, Brendan Mcginley, Sarah Richardson, Shani Sniedze, Jennifer Star

Assessment and Reporting

Within International Baccalaureate (IB) programmes, teachers play a central role in facilitating learning and empowering learners. One of the key competencies required by teachers to be able to support high quality learning is for assessment, teaching and learning in their classrooms to work collectively. Teachers must possess a high level of assessment literacy to properly fulfil their role of supporting teaching and learning. Teachers’ assessment literacy can have an impact on the quality of educational provision. The aim of this study was to develop an assessment literacy and design competency framework for use across IB programmes and professional learning resources.

Creating Conditions For Collaboration: A Case Study On Design-Based Professional Learning, Leslie A. Lehner

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Design thinking is a process for solving complex problems through creative actions. There are three primary ways design thinking is being used in education today: (a) as a teaching tool, (b) as a strategy for teachers to redesign their students’ learning experiences, and (c) as a tool for school leaders to design school change (Gallagher & Thordarson, 2018). Design thinking includes a strong emphasis on team-based learning regarding the problem and possible solutions (Lindberg et al., 2010). This case study describes one school’s approach to navigating complex challenges, inspiring school change, and developing conditions for meaningful collaboration using a design …

Students’ Evaluation Of Teaching In The Project-Based Learning Programme: An Instrument And A Development Process, Gary Pan, Venky Shankararaman, Kevin Koh, Sandy Gan

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Students' evaluation of teaching (SET) is widely adopted in most universities. Besides allowing teachers to improve their teaching, SET offers an important input for university administrators' consideration in faculty promotion, contract renewal, salary increase and teaching award. While the practice of using SET instrument is well established, it remains ambiguous in the SET literature whether a dedicated SET instrument is used for alternative teaching pedagogy. Our paper argues that SET instrument may need to be re-designed to reflect the idiosyncrasy of another teaching pedagogy. Accordingly, this paper presents the development process of a SET instrument used to measure an alternative …

Plagiarism Detection Software: A Comparative Evaluation, Sunayana D. Jadhav, Shalini R. Lihitkar

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Plagiarism detection software has become need of the hour. Academicians need to acknowledge this fact and should take some steps towards this new change towards research ethics and reliability. In this research paper, researchers attempt to cover the concept of plagiarism and analyses some of the plagiarism detection software with their features and functions, like-pricing and availability, user-friendliness, publisher checking, internet checking, language support etc. This evaluation of plagiarism detection software will help to enable researchers and academicians to understand the importance of plagiarism and the available functionalities of plagiarism checking tools.

The Influence Of Participation In A Multi-Disciplinary Collaborative Service Learning Project On The Effectiveness Of Team Members In A 100-Level Mechanical Engineering Class, Stacie I. Ringleb, Pilar Pazos, Julia Noginova, Francisco Cima, Orlando Ayala, Krishnanand Kaipa, Jennifer Kidd, Kristie Gutierrez

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Engineers need to develop professional skills, including the ability to work successfully in teams and to communicate within and outside of their discipline, in addition to required technical skills. A collaborative multi-disciplinary service learning project referred to as Ed+gineering was implemented in a 100-level mechanical engineering course. In this collaboration, mechanical engineering students, primarily in the second semester of their freshman year or first semester of their second year, worked over the course of a semester with education students taking a foundations course to develop and deliver engineering lessons to fourth or fifth graders. Students in comparison engineering classes worked …

Leveraging Centers For Teaching And Learning In Accreditation Review And Quality Assurance Processes, David Sacks, Patty Payette, Donna Ellis, Cassandra Volpe Horii

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Accreditation and quality assurance are high stakes processes that require wide-ranging input through self and peer review, with the goal of ensuring a high-quality education for students. This essay, part of the POD Speaks series, advises senior academic leaders to involve campus-based educational developers due to their unique expertise in working with faculty, assessing and improving curricula, and guiding organizational change.

An Evaluation Of Programs And Leadership Practices For Effective Dropout Prevention, Nicole C. West

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

This mixed-methods study explored a problem within dropout research which often fails to link characteristics of student subgroups with effective dropout interventions. Considering the characteristics identified in the literature of at-risk learners, the conceptual framework for this study combined the theory of self-efficacy and leadership with emphasis on servant leadership. The purpose of the study was to evaluate dropout intervention and prevention programs in two high schools by examining intervention and leadership practices for students at risk of dropping out of high school. Through causal-comparative and phenomenological approaches, this investigation focused on identifying dropout factors targeted in the intervention …

Tale Of The Tape: A Study Of Two-Year College Student-Athletes, Dustin Grover

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Two-year athletic programs bring many unique elements to a college campus, many of which help to create a comprehensive student experience. Quantifying this experience is difficult as little data has been collected historically on two-year college athletes. The purpose of conducting this study was to create a profile of a rural two-year college student-athlete and to utilize the data to determine if participation in athletics had any effect on student success measures. This study will help college administrators build a better understanding of the two-year college student-athlete, aiding their decision-making regarding the prioritization of college athletics on their campuses. These …

Preferred Methods Of Communication Of Millennial Alumni Of The University Of Arkansas’ Agricultural Education, Communications And Technology Department And The Impact Of Brand Community On Potential Philanthropy, Wells William Clark

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Higher education institutions depend upon alumni support (Gaier, 2005). Understanding how those institutions communicate with alumni about methods of financial giving is necessary in securing their support. The concept of brand community, an idea formed through social relationships amongst consumers of a common brand, regardless of location, who acknowledge their overlapping interests and share traditions and a sense of duty related to the brand (McAlexander et al., 2006; Muniz & O’Guinn, 2001), can contribute to desired behaviors such as donations and engagement in alumni groups. Exploration of this concept was conducted in relation to young alumni (those graduating from 2008-2018).The …

Guiding Behaviors With Step-By-Step Instructions: A Resource For All Classrooms, Brittany M. Grose

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A capstone submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in the Ernst and Sara Lane Volgenau College of Education at Morehead State University by Brittany M. Grose on June 30, 2021.

Lessons From The Classroom – Assessing The Work Of Postgraduate Students To Support Better Hygrothermal Risk Assessment, Joseph Little, Beñat Arregi, Christian Bludau

Conference papers

The widespread adoption of transient simulation modelling tools by building design professionals to support hygrothermal risk assessment of building design specifications is a crucial component in a multi-pronged drive to reduce moisture risk in buildings. Structured upskilling is essential. Much can be learnt about the ways practitioners use such tools by reviewing the work of professional postgraduate student groups. Such review could inform the creation of a user protocol. Peer-review under the responsibility of the organizing committee of the ICMB21.

Reading Ability, Study Habits And Students’ Academic Performance In Social Studies, Juliana Uloma Iheakanwa, Sunday Obro, Williams Pius Akpochafo

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study investigated reading ability, study habits and students’ academic performance in Social Studies. The study was an expos-facto study. The researcher employed a stratified and multi-sampling technique to sample 1103 students. The questionnaire was the instrument utilised to gather data. The Cronbach Alpha was utilised for the determination of the instrument reliability, and a reliability value coefficient value of 0.78 for Reading Fluency, 0.90 for Passage Recall and 0.92 for question Answering and 0.76 for Study habit was obtained. Data generated were evaluated employing correlation co-efficient of determination for the research questions, while the multiple regression and linear regression …

Initiatives To Find The "Lost Einsteins" Through The Integration Of Independent Scientific Research Projects In Early College, Maria Agapito, Mini Jayaprakash, Tiffany Morris, Carla Stephens

Early College Folio

This exploratory study examines the effects of incorporating Independent Scientific Research Projects (ISRP) into early college biology curriculum. The authors present their findings, which are steeped in the goal of increasing minority students’ interest in STEM careers, by analyzing student engagement in classrooms with and without ISRP integration.

Students’ Perceptions Of Factors Contributing To Enrollment In Arabic Courses At A College Level, Qays Q. Majeed

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this evaluation was to investigate the factors that contribute to students’ recruitment and retention in the Arabic program at my college. The two questions guiding this evaluation were: (1) what factors influence students to join the Arabic program at my college and (2) what factors influence students to continue to enroll in subsequent higher-level Arabic courses? To accomplish this evaluation, I conducted interviews with six former students --four women and two men--in the Arabic program. Eight themes emerged following analysis of data. The findings show that students joined the Arabic program for a variety of reasons. Several …

Deconstructing The Anomaly Of India’S Higher Education Ranking Framework: A Case Of Misdirected Selection Of Evaluation Parameters, Praveen B. Malla Dr.

Essays in Education

Indian higher educational institutions (HEIs) are not making it to the top of the global ranking tables, except for a few. The Indian government has taken cognizance of this failure and launched a domestic ranking framework to foster competition and consequently improve quality of education. Interestingly, the framework is riddled with issues of misdirected metric selection. Given the complexity and vastness of the Indian higher education ecosystem this one-size-fits-all framework is not appropriate.

Public universities are predominantly policy driven and have a charter that is not in line with the mandate of the private and deemed universities. Likewise, institutions of …

The Elementary And Secondary Education Act (Esea) And Its Reauthorization As The Improving America's Schools Act (Iasa) With Its Impact On Funding, Education Policy, And Supporting The Change For Improvement Of Student Achievement, Kaylee Latocha

University Honors Theses

A comparison of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 and the Improving America’s Schools Act (IASA) of 1994 within the time period they were written in, and contextualizing them historically to discuss their failures and successes. This thesis will examine how they were shaped on a national level by politicians and political activists to create a more equitable system so that funding was beneficial to all students. Education policy formed itself to funding and student achievement as achievement was what determined funding.

Modeling The Multiwavelength Variability Of Mrk 335 Using Gaussian Processes, Dirk Grupe

Faculty Research at Morehead State University

The optical and UV variability of the majority of active galactic nuclei may be related to the reprocessing of rapidly changing X-ray emission from a more compact region near the central black hole. Such a reprocessing model would be characterized by lags between X-ray and optical/UV emission due to differences in light travel time. Observationally, however, such lag features have been difficult to detect due to gaps in the lightcurves introduced through factors such as source visibility or limited telescope time. In this work, Gaussian process regression is employed to interpolate the gaps in the Swift X-ray and UV lightcurves …

Principals’ Management Of Library Resources And Teachers’ Lesson Preparation Practices In Secondary Schools: A Predictive Evaluation, Valentine Joseph Owan, Rosemary O. Osim Ph.D., Emanghe E. Emanghe Ph.D., Eyiene Ameh Ph.D., John Asuquo Ekpenyong

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The literature is predominated by studies seeking to clarify the extent of the availability, functionality, accessibility and/or utilisation of library materials in schools at various levels. The extent of principals' management of library resources and their contribution to the lesson preparation activities of teachers seems to have been under-researched. In bridging the gap, the current study was designed to assess the extent and contribution of principals’ management of library resources to teachers’ lesson preparation practices. Six specific objectives were of interest to the researchers. The quantitative research method, following the ex-post facto research design, was adopted. The stratified proportional random …

Professional Variables And Staff Readiness To Utilise Internet-Based Channels For Research Communication In An Era Of Covid-19, Valentine Joseph Owan, Levi Udochukwu Akah Phd., Mary Mark Ogbeche, Moses Eteng Obla

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study assessed the professional variables of academic staff in African varsities and their readiness to Utilise Internet-Based Channels for Research Communication in an era of Covid-19. Drawing from Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, the study was guided by four null hypotheses. The quantitative research method based on the virtual cross-sectional survey design was adopted. A total of 8,591 academics in African universities were the targeted demographic of this study. However, data were collected from a virtual snowball sample of 1,977 respondents (males, N = 1347; females, N = 630) from 24 African countries. A validated electronic survey, with three …